System, network and method for multi-platform publishing and synchronized content

ABSTRACT

Methods, communications networks and systems for synchronizing content delivery to a plurality of delivery devices of a user. The delivery devices include at least one computer connected to internet and at least one mobile device. The method comprises retrieving profile data concerning the plurality of delivery devices of the user; sending an invitation to deliver content to the plurality of delivery devices of the user; receiving at least two responses to the invitation, for each response received: identifying a responding delivery device of the plurality of delivery devices from which the response is received using the profile data; retrieving a platform type of the responding delivery device accepting the invitation; and retrieving and providing a delivery version of the content in a delivery format acceptable for the platform of the responding delivery device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 61/140,663 filed Dec. 24, 2008, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to portable devices, and moreparticularly to a system, network and method for synchronized deliveryof content such as text, graphics, audio and video to multiple deliverydevices with different platforms.

BACKGROUND

Delivery systems for multiple platforms exist in the market today. Thesesystems typically deliver ‘alerts’ in the form of text, an image or anemail. There are no systems for delivery of mobile content to multipleplatforms. Mobile content delivery is when content that is developedspecifically for a mobile device is sent to a selected user's mobiledevice. The content is developed, packaged, and then sent to a user in aformat that allows playback on a mobile device. In order for thiscontent to be available on another platform it would need to berecreated/re-authored and then republished. This content is notavailable on another platform, such via a web browser on the internet.

One of the problems with the current systems is that they do not allowthe user the flexibility to access the content where it is mostconvenient. The content is packaged and delivered as an e-mailattachment or is retrieved through an HTML link. With these methods, theuser must download the content as an e-mail attachment or download thecontent as a link from an HTML page. These methods also require end-userinteraction and intervention for successful delivery. These methods donot allow for the tracking of when the content was accessed or if it wassuccessfully delivered to the device.

Another existing problem with the current systems for mobile delivery isthat the user must access the content on a mobile device or take anyassessments or surveys on the mobile device. The user is not able toaccess the same content or take the same assessment or survey on a webbrowser. This content would be considered two separate courses if theywere available and therefore would not be synchronized.

These limitations also do not allow a content publisher to create aversion of the content and send it to users without having to worryabout what platform the user is going to use to access the content on.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the drawings, which show by way ofexample, embodiments of the present disclosure, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows in block diagram form a wireless device suitable for havinga mobile content player in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows in block diagram form a communication system suitable forproviding the operating environment of the wireless device of FIG. 1 inaccordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows in block diagram form the contents of a memory of thewireless device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating the wireless device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows in simplified block diagram form aspects of thecommunications system of FIG. 2 and the wireless device of FIG. 1configured to deliver synchronized content to multiple platforms inaccordance with one embodiment for the desktop computer;

FIG. 6 shows in simplified block diagram form aspects of thecommunications system of FIG. 2 and the wireless device of FIG. 1configured to deliver synchronized content to multiple platforms inaccordance with another embodiment for the desktop computer; and

FIG. 7 comprises FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B which show in flowchart form stepsof a method for delivering synchronized content to multiple platforms inaccordance with one embodiment.

It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like featuresare identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The term “content” is used herein to refer to one or more digital mediatypes that, when combined, create a document or a content package. Thispackage can have text, images, video, audio and other media types in it.

This present method and system allow a content author to create contentfor users and publish the content to multiple platforms withoutmodifying or reconfiguring the content for use on the differentplatforms.

The content is delivered to each delivery device specified for the user.The delivery device can be a mobile device, a personal computer, aclassroom workstation, a training kiosk terminal, a wireless museuminteractive personal guide, etc. The desktop computer platform can beany computer having wired access to the internet. The mobile device is amobile wireless communication device which communicates over acommunication network, including cellular telephones, mobile phones,smartphones, wireless laptop computers, Blackberries, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), pagers and the like.

The content can be pushed to the configured mobile device and anotification can be sent to the user with a URL link that will allow adesktop player to access the same content without any reformatting ofthe content by the content author.

It allows an author to create the content once and automatically deliverthe content to the targeted user on multiple platforms. It does notrequire any end-user intervention to deliver the content.

According to one broad aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a method for synchronizing content delivery to a plurality ofdelivery devices of a user. The delivery devices include at least onecomputer connected to internet and at least one mobile device. Themethod comprises retrieving profile data concerning the plurality ofdelivery devices of the user; sending an invitation to deliver contentto the plurality of delivery devices of the user; receiving at least tworesponses to the invitation from separate delivery devices, for eachresponse received: identifying a responding delivery device of theplurality of delivery devices from which the response is received usingthe profile data; retrieving a platform type of the responding deliverydevice accepting the invitation; and retrieving and providing a deliveryversion of the content in a format acceptable for the platform of theresponding delivery device.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises retrieving an accessapplication type for the responding delivery device corresponding to anaccess application on the responding delivery device for accessing thecontent; wherein the access application is one of a browser connected tointernet and a local player on the delivery device having access to alocal storage on the delivery device; wherein retrieving the deliveryversion of the content comprises formatting the delivery format for theaccess application; wherein providing the delivery version comprises,depending on the access application, one of sending the delivery versionof the content for download by the responding delivery device andproviding the delivery version for accessing in the browser on theresponding delivery device.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises authoring the content ina single author format; transcoding the content from the single authorformat to at least one delivery format.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises tracking usage of thecontent by the user on each the responding delivery device.

In one embodiment, the tracking comprises storing a user log for each ofthe responding delivery device, the user log including a time stamp andan activity description for at least one activity carried out by theuser on the content; transmitting the user log for each of theresponding delivery device to a content tracker; cumulating the user logfrom each of the responding delivery device for the user at the contenttracker in a user content profile.

In one embodiment, the activity is one of a beginning of an access tothe content, an end of an access to the content, a completion ofrendering of a section of the content, an inputting of an answer in anassessment portion of the content.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises extracting accessstatistics from the user content profile for the user.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises gathering assessmentstatistics from the user content profile for the user.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises reporting at least oneof the access statistics and the assessment statistics.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises reporting providing arendering limit, the rendering limit being a number of times the user isallowed to render the content on the plurality of delivery devices;obtaining an access count from the access statistics, the access countbeing a number of times the user has accessed the content on any of thedelivery devices; comparing the access count to the rendering limit; ifthe access count is equal to the rendering limit, blocking access to thecontent on all the responding delivery devices.

In one embodiment, blocking access comprises transmitting a blockedaccess replacement content to the responding delivery device.

According to another broad aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a communications network having at least one content serverconfigurable to deliver content to a plurality of delivery devices. Thecontent server is configured for retrieving profile data concerning theplurality of delivery devices of the user from a user profile storage;sending an invitation to deliver content to the plurality of deliverydevices of the user through a platform connector; receiving at least tworesponses to the invitation from separate delivery devices at theplatform connector; for each response received: identifying a respondingdelivery device of the plurality of delivery devices from which theresponse is received using the profile data; retrieving a platform typeof the responding delivery device accepting the invitation; retrievingand providing a delivery version of the content in a format acceptablefor the platform of the responding delivery device from a centralcontent storage.

In one embodiment, the platform connector further comprises retrievingan access application type for the responding delivery devicecorresponding to an access application on the responding delivery devicefor accessing the content; wherein the access application is one of abrowser connected to internet and a local player on the delivery devicehaving access to a local storage on the delivery device; whereinretrieving the delivery version of the content comprises formatting thedelivery format for the access application; wherein providing thedelivery version comprises, depending on the access application, one ofsending the delivery version of the content for download by theresponding delivery device and providing the delivery version foraccessing in the browser on the responding delivery device.

In one embodiment, the communications network further comprises acontent authoring system for authoring the content in a single authorformat; a content delivery system for transcoding the content from thesingle author format to at least one delivery format and storing thecontent in the at least one delivery format in the central contentstorage.

In one embodiment, the communications network further comprises a usertracker for tracking usage of the content by the user on each theresponding delivery device.

In one embodiment, the communications network further comprises acontent tracker for cumulating the usage tracked by the user trackerfrom each of the responding delivery device for the user in a usercontent profile.

According to another broad aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a synchronized content delivery system for deliveringsynchronized content to a plurality of delivery devices. Thesynchronized content delivery system comprises a plurality of deliverydevices of a user, including at least one computer connected to internetand at least one mobile device; a user profile storage including profiledata concerning the plurality of delivery devices of the user; aplatform connector for sending an invitation to deliver content to theplurality of delivery devices of the user and for receiving at least tworesponses to the invitation from separate delivery devices, the platformconnector, for each response received, identifying a responding deliverydevice of the plurality of delivery devices from which the response isreceived using the profile data; retrieving a platform type of theresponding delivery device accepting the invitation; retrieving andproviding a delivery version of the content in a format acceptable forthe platform of the responding delivery device.

In one embodiment, the platform connector further comprises retrievingan access application type for the responding delivery devicecorresponding to an access application on the responding delivery devicefor accessing the content; wherein the access application is one of abrowser connected to internet and a local player on the delivery devicehaving access to a local storage on the delivery device; whereinretrieving the delivery version of the content comprises formatting thedelivery format for the access application; wherein providing thedelivery version comprises, depending on the access application, one ofsending the delivery version of the content for download by theresponding delivery device and providing the delivery version foraccessing in the browser on the responding delivery device.

In one embodiment, the synchronized content delivery system furthercomprises a content authoring system for authoring the content in asingle author format; a content delivery system for transcoding thecontent from the single author format to at least one delivery formatand storing the content in the at least one delivery format in thecentral content storage.

In one embodiment, the synchronized content delivery system furthercomprises a user tracker for tracking usage of the content by the useron each the responding delivery device.

In one embodiment, the synchronized content delivery system furthercomprises a content tracker for cumulating the usage tracked by the usertracker from each of the responding delivery device for the user in auser content profile.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which shows a block diagramillustrating a portable wireless device 102 that is suitable for havinga mobile content player in accordance with one aspect of the presentdisclosure. The wireless device 102 communicates through a wirelesscommunication network 104. The wireless network 104 includes antenna,base stations, and supporting radio equipment as for supporting wirelesscommunications between the wireless device 102 and other devicesconnected to wireless network 104. The wireless network 104 may becoupled to a wireless network gateway and to a wide area network, shownin FIG. 2.

In one embodiment, the wireless device 102 is a two-way communicationdevice having at least voice and/or data communication capabilities,including the capability to communicate with other computer systems. Inone embodiment, the wireless device 102 is a handheld device. Dependingon the functionality provided by the wireless device 102, it may bereferred to as a data messaging device, a two-way pager, a cellulartelephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless Internetappliance, a data communication device (with or without telephonycapabilities), or a portable media or music player. The wireless device102 may communicate with any one of a plurality of fixed transceiverstations within its geographic coverage area.

The wireless device 102 may incorporate a communication subsystem 112,which includes a receiver 114, a transmitter 116, and associatedcomponents, such as one or more antenna elements 118 and 120, localoscillators (LOs) 122, and a processing module such as a digital signalprocessor (DSP) 124. In one embodiment, the antenna elements 118 and 120may be embedded or internal to the wireless device 102. As will beapparent to those skilled in the field of communications, the particulardesign of the communication subsystem 112 depends on the wirelessnetwork 104 in which the wireless device 102 is intended to operate.

The wireless device 102 may send and receive communication signals overthe wireless network 104 after the required network registration oractivation procedures have been completed. Signals received by theantenna 118 through the wireless network 104 are input to the receiver114, which may perform such common receiver functions as signalamplification, frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection,etc., as well as analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/D conversion of areceived signal allows more complex communication functions such asdemodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP 124. In a similarmanner, signals to be transmitted are processed, including modulationand encoding, for example, by the DSP 124. These DSP-processed signalsare input to the transmitter 116 for digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion,frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification, and transmission tothe wireless network 104 via the antenna 120. The DSP 124 not onlyprocesses communication signals, but also provides for receiver andtransmitter control. For example, the gains applied to communicationsignals in the receiver 114 and the transmitter 116 may be adaptivelycontrolled through automatic gain control algorithms implemented in theDSP 124.

Network access is associated with a subscriber or user of the wirelessdevice 102 via a memory module, such as a memory module 130, which maybe a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card for use in a GSM network or aUSIM card for use in a UMTS. The SIM card is inserted in or connected toan interface 132 of the wireless device 102 in order to operate inconjunction with the wireless network 104. Alternatively, the wirelessdevice 102 may have an integrated identity module for use with systemssuch as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems.

The wireless device 102 also includes a battery interface 136 forreceiving one or more rechargeable batteries 138. The battery 138provides electrical power to at least some of the electrical circuitryin the wireless device 102, and the battery interface 136 provides amechanical and electrical connection for the battery 138. The batteryinterface 136 is coupled to a regulator (not shown) which provides powerV+ to the circuitry of the wireless device 102.

The wireless device 102 includes a microprocessor 140 which controls theoverall operation of the wireless device 102. Communication functions,including at least data and voice communications, are performed throughthe communication subsystem 112. The microprocessor 140 also interactswith additional device subsystems such as a display 142, a flash memory144, a random access memory (RAM) 146, a read-only memory (ROM) 148,auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystems 150, a Universal Serial Bus(USB) port 152, a keyboard or keypad 154, a speaker or audio port 156for connecting to, for example a set of headphones, a microphone 158, aclickable thumbwheel, trackball, thumbwheel, or set of scroll buttons160, a short-range communications subsystem 162, and any other devicesubsystems generally designated as 164. Some of the subsystems shown inFIG. 1 perform communication-related functions, whereas other subsystemsmay provide “resident” or on-device functions. Notably, some subsystems,such as the keypad 154, the display 142, and the clickable thumbwheel ortrackball 160, for example, may be used for both communication-relatedfunctions, such as entering a text message for transmission over thewireless network 104, and executing device-resident functions such as acalculator or task list. Operating system software used by themicroprocessor 140 is preferably stored in a persistent store such asthe flash memory 144, which may alternatively be the ROM 148 or similarstorage element. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that theoperating system, specific device applications, or parts thereof, may betemporarily loaded into a volatile store such as the RAM 146.

The microprocessor 140, in addition to its operating system functions,enables execution of software applications on the wireless device 102. Apredetermined set of applications that control basic device operations,including data and voice communication applications, will normally beinstalled on the wireless device 102 during or after manufacture. Thewireless device 102 may include a personal information manager (PIM)application having the ability to organize and manage data itemsrelating to a user such as, but not limited to, instant messaging,email, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items.

One or more memory stores may be available on the wireless device 102 tofacilitate storage of information, such as the flash memory 144, the RAM146, the ROM 148, the memory module 130, or other types of memorystorage devices or FLASH memory cards represented by the other devicesubsystems 164, such as Secure Digital (SD) cards, mini SD cards, microSD cards, etc.

The PIM and/or media applications have the ability to send and receivedata items via either the wireless network 104 or a link to a computersystem. The link to the computer system may be via the serial port 152or the short-range communications subsystem 162. Additional applicationsmay also be loaded onto the wireless device 102 through the wirelessnetwork 104, the auxiliary I/O subsystem 150, the serial port 152, theshort-range communications subsystem 162, or any other suitablesubsystem 164, and installed by a user in the RAM 146 or a non-volatilestore such as the ROM 148 for execution by the microprocessor 140. Suchflexibility in application installation increases the functionality ofthe wireless device 102 and may provide enhanced on-device functions,communication-related functions, or both. For example, securecommunication applications may enable electronic commerce functions andother such financial transactions to be performed using the wirelessdevice 102.

In a data communication mode, a received data signal representinginformation such as a text message, an email message, a media file to betransferred, or Web page download will be processed by the communicationsubsystem 112 and input to the microprocessor 140. The microprocessor140 will further process the signal for output to the display 142 oralternatively to the auxiliary I/O device 150. A user of the wirelessdevice 102 may also compose data items, such as email messages, forexample, using the keypad 154 and/or the clickable thumbwheel ortrackball 160 in conjunction with the display 142 and possibly theauxiliary I/O device 150. The keypad 154 may be either a completealphanumeric keypad or telephone-type keypad.

For voice communications, the overall operation of the wireless device102 is similar, except that the received signals would be output to thespeaker or audio port 156 and signals for transmission would begenerated by a transducer such as the microphone 158. Alternative voiceor audio I/O subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem,may also be implemented on the wireless device 102. Although voice oraudio signal output is typically accomplished primarily through thespeaker or audio port 156, the display 142 may also be used to providean indication of the identity of a calling party, duration of a voicecall, or other voice call related information. Stereo headphones mayalso be used in place of the speaker 156.

The serial port 152 is normally implemented in a personal digitalassistant (PDA) type communication device for which synchronization witha user's computer is a desirable, albeit optional, component. The serialport 152 enables a user to set preferences through an external device orsoftware application and extends the capabilities of the wireless device102 by providing for information, media file, or software downloads tothe wireless device 102 other than through the wireless network 104.

The short-range communications subsystem 162 is an additional optionalcomponent which provides for communication between the wireless device102 and different systems or devices, which need not necessarily besimilar devices. For example, the subsystem 162 may include an infrareddevice and associated circuits and components, or a wireless busprotocol compliant communication mechanism such as a Bluetooth™communication module to provide for communication with similarly-enabledsystems and devices (Bluetooth™ is a registered trademark of BluetoothSIG, Inc.). In another embodiment, the short-range communicationssubsystem 162 may be a wireless networking communications subsystem,conforming to IEEE 802.11 standards such as 802.11b, 802.11g, and/or802.11n.

Reference is next made to FIG. 2, which shows a communication system 200suitable for use with the wireless device 102 shown in FIG. 1. Thecommunication system 200 generally includes one or more wireless devices102 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 2) and the wireless network 104.The wireless network 104 may include a wireless Wide Area Network (WAN)202, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) 204, and/or other interfaces206 (which may not necessarily be wireless).

Referring to FIG. 2, the wireless WAN 202 may be implemented as apacket-based cellular or mobile network that includes a number of basestations 208 (one of which is shown in FIG. 2) where each of the basestations 208 provides wireless Radio Frequency (RF) coverage to acorresponding area or cell. The wireless WAN 202 is typically operatedby a cellular network service provider that sells subscription packagesto users of the wireless devices 102. The wireless WAN 202 comprises anumber of different types of networks, for example, Mobitex RadioNetwork, DataTAC, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), GPRS(General Packet Radio System), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access),CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), CDPD (Cellular Digital PacketData), iDEN (integrated Digital Enhanced Network) or various other thirdgeneration networks such as EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSMEvolution), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems), ThirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP or 3G), Evolution-Data Optimized(EV-DO), or 4G.

As shown in FIG. 2, the communications system 200 also includes awireless network gateway 210 and one or more network provider systems212. The wireless network gateway 210 provides translation and routingservices between the network provider system(s) 212 and the WAN 202,which facilitates communication between the wireless devices 102 andother devices (not shown) connected, directly or indirectly, to thenetwork provider system 212.

The WLAN 204 comprises a network which in some examples conforms to IEEE802.11 standards such as 802.11b, 802.11g, and/or 802.11n; however,other communications protocols may also be used for the WLAN 204. TheWLAN 204 includes one or more wireless RF Access Points (AP) 214 (one ofwhich is shown in FIG. 2) that collectively provide a WLAN coveragearea. For the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, the WLAN 204 is operated byan enterprise (for example, a business or university in a building orcampus type environment) and the access points 214 are connected to anaccess point (AP) interface 216. The AP interface 216 providestranslation and routing services between the access points 214 and thenetwork provider system 212 to facilitate communication between two ormore of the wireless devices 102 and other devices (e.g., such asdesktop computers) connected, directly or indirectly, to the networkprovider system 212. The AP interface 216 is implemented using acomputer, for example, a server running a suitable computer program orsoftware.

According to one embodiment, the other interfaces 206 may be implementedusing a physical interface indicated by reference 218. The physicalinterface 218 includes an Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB),Firewire, or infrared (IR) connection implemented to exchangeinformation between the network provider system 212 and the wirelessdevice 102.

The network provider system 212 comprises a server or server modules ora number of servers or server modules which are typically located behinda firewall (not shown). The network provider system 212 may include anumber of modules including a mobile data delivery module 220. Variousmodules running on the network provider system 212 may be implemented asa number of services running on a single server or as a number ofinterconnected servers each running a software program to implement thefunctionality of the respective module. The network provider system 212provides access for the wireless devices 102, through either thewireless WAN 202, the WLAN 204, or the other connection 206 to thedevices connected, for example, through an enterprise network 224 (e.g.,an intranet), to the network provider system 212. In one embodiment, thedata delivery module 220 is implemented on a computer, such as thenetwork provider system 212.

The enterprise network 224 comprises a local area network, an intranet,the Internet, a direct connection, or combinations thereof. Theenterprise network 224 may comprise an intranet for a corporation orother type of organization. In at least some embodiments, the networkprovider system 212 is part of the enterprise network 224, and islocated behind a corporate firewall and connected to the wirelessnetwork gateway 210 through the Internet. A computer 222 (e.g., adesktop or laptop computer) belonging to the user of the wireless device102 is typically connected to the enterprise network 224. As describedearlier, the wireless device 102 may be temporarily and directlyconnected to the computer 222 using, for example, the serial port 152.This direct connection may make use of a cradle or docking stationconnected to a serial port of the computer 222, where the mobile device102 is placed in the cradle, therefore completing the serial connectionbetween the mobile device 102 and the computer 222. Alternatively, thewireless device 102 may communicate with the computer 222 using thecommunication subsystem 112 and the WAN 202 and/or the short-rangecommunications subsystem 162 and the WLAN 204.

As shown in FIG. 2, an application/content server 226 may be connectedto the enterprise network 224 and also to another network, for example aWide Area Network (WAN) 228. In some embodiments, an email server 232and/or the content server 226 form part of the enterprise network 224.The WAN 228 may further connect to other networks. The WAN 228 maycomprise or be configured with the Internet, a direct connection, a LAN,a wireless communication link, or any combination thereof. Contentproviders, such as Web servers, may be connected to the WAN 228, anexample of which is shown in FIG. 2 as an origin server 230.

According to one embodiment, the mobile data delivery module 220provides connectivity between the wireless WAN 202 and the WLAN 204 andthe other connection 206 and devices and/or networks connected directlyor indirectly to the network provider system 212. In one embodiment, theconnectivity provided may be Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) basedconnectivity providing an Internet based service connection to devicesconnected to the wireless WAN 202, the WLAN 204, or the other connection206 and devices and/or networks connected directly or indirectly to thenetwork provider system 212. The network 224, the application/contentserver 226, the WAN 228, and the origin server 230, are individuallyand/or collectively in various combinations a content source for thenetwork provider system 212. It will be appreciated that the systemshown in FIG. 2 comprises but one possible communication network orconfiguration of a multitude of possible configurations for use with thewireless devices 102.

Reference is next made to FIG. 3, which shows a block diagramillustrating a memory 300 of the wireless device 102. The memory 300 hasvarious software components for controlling the wireless device 102 andmay include, for example, the flash memory 144, the RAM 146, the ROM148, the memory module 130 and/or the other device subsystems 164. Inaccordance with one embodiment, the wireless device 102 is intended tobe a multi-tasking wireless communications device configured for sendingand receiving data items and for making and receiving voice calls thatalso includes various applications enabling users to listen to music,watch video files, play games, view picture files, surf the internetwirelessly, etc. To provide a user-friendly environment to control theoperation of the wireless device 102, an operating system (OS) 302resident on the wireless device 102 provides a basic set of operationsfor supporting various applications typically operable through agraphical user interface (GUI) 304. For example, the operating system302 provides basic input/output system features to obtain input from theauxiliary I/O 150, the keypad 154, the clickable thumbwheel or trackball 160, and other input devices, and to facilitate output to the uservia the display 142. The GUI 304 is typically a component of theoperating system 302. One or more software modules 306 for managingcommunications or providing a personal digital assistant (PDA) or otherfunctions may also be included. The memory 300 also includes an emailand calendar client, which may be combined in, for example, a PIMapplication having email-based calendaring and scheduling functions.Typically, the PIM is installed as one of the software modules 306.

The memory 300 also includes a mobile content player 308, which may alsobe referred to as a content delivery module. In one example, the mobilecontent player 308 may be integrated into the operating system 302.Alternatively, the module 308 may be a separate software component, asillustrated in FIG. 3. The mobile content player 308 may be responsiblefor managing content delivery to the wireless device 102 and/or playingthe content delivered. Operation of the mobile content player 308 willbe described in more detail below, in connection with FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

Thus, the wireless device 102 includes computer executable programmedinstructions for directing the wireless device 102 to implement variousapplications. The programmed instructions may be embodied in the one ormore software modules 306 resident in the memory 300 of the wirelessdevice 102. Alternatively, the programmed instructions may be tangiblyembodied or stored on a computer readable medium (such as a DVD, CD,floppy disk or other storage media) which may be used for transportingthe programmed instructions to the memory 300 of the wireless device102. Alternatively, the programmed instructions may be embedded orcarried in a computer-readable, signal-bearing medium that is uploadedto the wireless network 104 by a vendor or supplier of the programmedinstructions, and this signal-bearing medium may be downloaded throughone or more of the interfaces 112, 150, 152, 162 to the wireless device102 from, for example, the wireless network 104 by end users.

Reference is next made to FIG. 4, which shows a front view of thewireless device 102. As mentioned above, the wireless device 102 may bea data and voice-enabled handheld device. The wireless device 102includes a casing 402, the data or serial port 152, the display screen142, the graphical user interface (GUI) 304, the keypad 154, theclickable thumbwheel or scroll buttons 160 a or other device fornavigation such as a trackball 160 b, one or more input buttons 404(e.g., select, cancel, talk, play, stop, fast forward, rewind, next,previous buttons), signal inputs/outputs 406 (e.g., direct wireconnection or inductive coupling power connector input, microphone,speaker, data interface input, etc.), and an audio port 407.Additionally, the wireless device 102 may have a number of navigationcontrol buttons represented by numerals 409 a and 409 b. The navigationcontrol buttons 409 may provide a number of functions such as a sendand/or end key for a mobile telephone application of the wireless device102, a menu key, an escape key, etc. The functions of the navigationcontrol buttons 409 may be user configurable. Internally, the wirelessdevice 102 includes one or more circuit boards (not shown), themicroprocessor 140 (FIG. 1), the memory 300 (FIG. 3), the battery 138(FIG. 1), the antennae 118, 120 (FIG. 1), etc., which may all be coupledto the signal inputs/outputs 406, the keypad 154, the display screen142, the clickable thumbwheel 160, etc.

The microprocessor 140 is typically coupled to one or more input devices(e.g., the buttons 404, the keypad 154, the clickable thumbwheel 160 a,the trackball 160 b) for receiving user commands or queries and thedisplay 142 for displaying the results of these commands or queries. Forexample, user queries may be transformed into a combination of commandsfor producing one or more tables of output data which may beincorporated in one or more display pages for presentation to the user.The microprocessor 140 is also coupled to the memory 300.

A user may interact with the wireless device 102 and its softwaremodules 306 using the GUI 304. The GUI 304 is controlled by theoperating system 302 (FIG. 3) and provides a display format enabling theuser to choose commands, execute application programs, manage computerfiles, and perform other functions by selecting pictorialrepresentations (i.e., icons), or selecting items from a menu throughthe use of an input or pointing device such as the clickable thumbwheel160 and/or the keypad 154. Generally, the GUI 304 is used to conveyinformation and receive commands from users and generally includes avariety of GUI objects or controls including icons, toolbars, drop-downmenus, pop-up menus, text, dialog boxes, buttons, etc. A user typicallyinteracts with the GUI 304 presented on the display 142 by using aninput or pointing device to position a pointer or cursor 408 over anobject 410 (i.e., “pointing” at the object) and by “clicking” on theobject 410 (e.g., by depressing the thumbwheel 160 or a button on thekeyboard 154, etc.). This is often referred to as a point-and-click orselection operation. Typically, the object 410 may be highlighted (e.g.,shaded) when it is selected or pointed at by the pointer or cursor 408to indicate that the object 410 is selectable.

Typically, a GUI-based system presents application, status, and otherinformation to the user in windows appearing on the display 142. Awindow 412 is a display area shown within the display 142, typicallyrectangular, in which a user may view an application or document. Thewindow 412 may be open, closed, displayed full screen, reduced to anicon, increased or reduced in size, or moved to different areas of thedisplay 142. Multiple windows 412 may be displayed simultaneously. Forexample, the windows 412 may be displayed within other windows,overlapped with other windows, or tiled within the display area.

The term “push” is used herein to refer to a method of content deliveryto a wireless device that is automatically delivered by a content serverwithout any action being required on the part of the wireless deviceuser.

Reference is next made to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows in simplifiedblock diagram form the communications system of FIG. 2 and the wirelessdevice of FIG. 1 configured to deliver synchronized content to manydelivery devices on different platforms including, for example, awireless device and a desktop computer in accordance with oneembodiment. The system shown in FIG. 5 is referred to collectively asthe system 500. Reference is also made to FIG. 6 which shows insimplified block diagram form another embodiment of the system. Thesystem shown in FIG. 6 is referred to collectively as the system 600.Many components of system 600 are identical to those of system 500 andwill not be repeatedly described.

The system 500 generally includes a content server 502, a platformconnector 504, a desktop computer 546 and a wireless device 102. Thecontent server 502 may, for example, be implemented by the contentserver 226 shown in FIG. 2 and the platform connector 504 may beimplemented, for example, by the network provider system 220.

The content server 502 generally comprises a content authoring andpublishing system 506, a central storage 508, a content assignment andaccess management system 510, a content delivery system 512, a deliveryqueue 514, and a delivery queue web service 516.

The content authoring and publishing system 506 may be implemented usinga number of systems in the market today, which provide for creation andcentral storage of content. Alternatively, the content authoring andpublishing system 506 may be implemented using solutions yet to bedeveloped. The authoring may be accomplished by an appropriateapplication and then saved to a central server, such as the centralstorage 508, for access by the delivery devices. For example, an audioclip may be authored in an audio editing tool, saved, and then publishedto a central content server or central storage 508. In one example,another system 506 may manage access to this content.

Once the content has been created, the content may be assigned to usersfor consumption. This assignment may function as a trigger for thedelivery to occur.

In one example, the content assignment and access management system 510may make a request to the content delivery system 512 to send all thecontent directly to the user. This request may contain informationidentifying what type the content is (e.g., a learning course) andtarget user information so the delivery can be directed to specificdelivery devices belonging to specific individual users. The request mayalso contain information that the content server 502 uses to find allelements of the content to be delivered.

The content assignment 510 may not need any knowledge of the mobiletransport platform being used, which may be configured in the platformconnector system 504 and may be tied to a user's delivery device type.

The content delivery system 512 may receive requests for deliveringcontent. These requests may originate from a system component that isassigning the content to users, such as the content authoring andpublishing system 506 and/or the content assignment and accessmanagement system 510. When these requests are received, the contentdelivery system 512 may look up the target and determine if the user hasa delivery device and if that device has a transport defined. Therequest may be verified to be in the proper format and then processed.If the user does not have a delivery device or a transport has not beendefined, then the appropriate response is returned to the requestingsystem. Every user may register with the content delivery system 512 toensure the deliveries can take place, specifying details about all oftheir delivery devices, including mobile devices 102 and desktopcomputers 546. Once this information is gathered, the content deliverysystem 512 may place the request onto the delivery queue 514 with astatus indicated as “new”. In one example, the request may be an XMLrequest.

Each XML request may be populated with a company identifier thatdetermines which company is authorized to view the XML request on thedelivery queue 514. Modifications to the content may occur after thecontent has been delivered. It may be left to the calling application tosend a new delivery request for the content if it has changed.

The delivery queue web service 516 may listen for requests made by theplatform connector 504. These requests may determine if there are itemson the queue 514 that the platform connector 504 is able to extract anddeliver.

The platform connector 504 may poll the delivery queue web service 516in predefined intervals to see if there is any content available thatneeds to be delivered. The platform connectors 504 may be configured fora specific content server or publisher. The platform connectors 504 mayissue a web services call to the delivery queue web service 516. Thiscall may contain user credentials that the web service 516 authenticatesto determine what queue items the platform connector 504 is authorizedto see. If there are no items authorized, the platform connector 504 maywait for a predefined time interval to elapse and try again. If theplatform connector 504 does find an item on the queue, the platformconnector 504 may retrieve the queued item as, for example an XMLdocument that describes the content. The platform connector 504 may onlyprocess one queued item at a time, but may alternatively be configuredto process multiple items at a time.

When the platform connector 504 receives an XML transaction from the webservice 516, the platform connector 504 looks up the intended transportand the delivery device type. Each user has a profile set at the contentserver 502 to identify what delivery platforms they have access to. Theuser identifies if he wishes to receive content on a mobile device, on adesktop computer (via a desktop player or an internet browser, orthrough both methods).

For example, a video file which was created in the content authoring andpublishing system 506 will be stored in the central storage 508. Becausemultiple formats of that video file will be needed, depending on thetype of delivery devices of the user, different formats of the videofile will also be stored in the central storage 508. The video fileformat accepted for display on a mobile device will most likely not bethe same as that accepted for display by the internet browser of thedesktop computer. This is referred to as transcoding the file. Allnecessary formats of the same content item are stored in the centralstorage 508.

This transcoding of the content items into different formats fordelivery to different delivery devices is managed by aconversion/transcoding system of the content assignment and accessmanagement system 510 which communicates with the content authoring andpublishing system 506 and external file format transfer applications tostore appropriate formats for the content items in central storage 508.

If a version for a particular platform is not readily available in thecentral storage 508, it can be created by the conversion/transcodingsystem of system 510 upon indication by the platform connector 504 thata delivery in a specific delivery format is required.

The images may be stored, for example, in one or more image files suchas, for example, PNG, GIF, JPEG or the like. The images may be resampledto a resolution compatible with the delivery device. Any audio that wasinserted into the content as, for example, MP3 files or WAV files can betranscoded into, for example, an AMR Audio format. Theconversion/transcoding system may convert the format of the document,such as an open XML format, into a format that may be able to berendered on the delivery device. Other similar conversions for othercontent elements may be performed by the conversion/transcoding system,according to techniques known to those skilled in the art or solutionsyet to be developed. With the transcoding system, the content isconverted from the first format to a second format compatible with orrenderable by the delivery device.

If the specified delivery devices for a user includes a mobile device,the platform connector 504 delivers the content to the wireless device102. If the specified delivery devices for a user includes a desktopcomputer 546, the platform connector 504 can deliver the content to thedesktop computer 546 (see FIG. 6) or an email can be sent to the user'semail application 540 (see FIG. 5). The email includes a link to themost up-to-date content which can be copied into a browser or clickedwithin the email application to trigger access to the content in thebrowser.

The platform connector 504 may further return result codes back to thedelivery queue web service 516 based on the ability of the platformconnector 504 to successfully send the delivery request to the deliverydevice infrastructure.

The platform connector 504 may work simultaneously with severalplatforms or transport types. This may include any transport that allowsa real-time delivery of content to the delivery device, or any mechanismthat publishes the content directly to the delivery devices.

In the case where the delivery device is a wireless device 102, thewireless device 102 memory 300 generally includes a number of componentsrelated to the mobile content player 308. The components that relate tothe mobile content player 308 include a listener 518, an email handler520, a manifest 522, a delivery manager 524, a mobile content player528. The memory 300 also includes at least one area used for localstorage, indicated by local storage 526.

The manifest 522 is received and stored in the memory 300 for use by thecontent player 308, but may be a working data store as opposed to anapplication component.

One aspect of the present application may make use of caching serversfor content delivery to the wireless devices 102. When a deliveryoccurs, the content may be retrieved from a local caching server insteadof the centralized content server 502. The mobile content player 308 maybe programmed to render various content types. The mobile content player308 may accept the delivery of content from the content delivery system512 through the content server 502. The mobile content player 308 mayalso accept, for example, notifications when a new course has beendelivered to the wireless device 102, which may be in addition to thewireless device 102 receiving an email. There may be configurablenotification options on the content delivery system 512.

When the content package has been delivered, the Mobile Content Player308 can provide a visual notification and report the delivery statusback to the content server. The content server then sends a notificationvia email to the Mobile Device 102.

The delivery manager 524 may process a manifest file (e.g., the manifest522) by retrieving each item specified by URL in the manifest file 522from the central content storage 508. These items may be placed in thewireless device local device storage 526. Once content is delivered tothe wireless device 102, the content remains in the local storage 526for the mobile content player 528 to render it. The delivered contentmay be removed from either the player 308 or from the content deliverysystem 512. If the player 528 attempts to render content that has beenremoved from the local storage 526, then the player 308 mayautomatically attempt to retrieve the content from the content server502.

The listener 518 may listen for the request sent from the platformconnector 504. The listener 518 may receive the XML manifest 522 andextract each content URL from the XML manifest 522. The listener 518 maythen send that URL to the delivery manager 524 for content retrievalusing the content URLs.

If a request is received via e-mail, the wireless device 102 processesthe e-mail through the email handler 520. The email handler 520 decryptsthe contents of the email, if encrypted, that contain the instructionsfor retrieving the content manifest, reads the e-mail information intomemory, and then deletes the e-mail from the user's wireless device 102email inbox. The email handler 520 may also authenticate the email bychecking to see that the destination email address, which in one examplemay be contained in an encrypted header of the email, matches the emailaddress of the wireless device 102 on which the email handler 520 isinstalled. The email handler 520 uses the information stored in memoryto make an HTTP request to the content authoring and publishing system506 requesting the content manifest. When the content authoring andpublishing system 506 determines that a user's e-mail is valid (e.g.,the system 506 may also authenticate the originating email address ofthe wireless device 102, which may be contained in an encrypted header),the system 506 sends the manifest to the mobile device 102 through itsHTTP response, and the manifest is saved as the manifest 522.Alternatively, the system 506 may also authenticate a PIN received fromthe wireless device 102. The email authentication performed by the emailhandler 520 and/or the content provider 502 as described above mayfunction to ensure that only authorized recipients are receivingcontent. In one example, if a user of the wireless device 102 forwardedan email originating from the content server 502 to another user, theother user would not be able to retrieve content from the contentprovider 502.

Therefore, the mobile device 102 has received one representation of thecontent, the representation being adequate for the mobile device.

The desktop computer 546 includes an email application 540 and aninternet browser 542. In the case where the delivery device is a desktopcomputer 546, the platform connector 504 communicates with the emailapplication 540 by sending an email to the user's specified emailaddress for the desktop computer 546. Once the user clicks on the URLlink provided in the email to reach the content, the internet browser542 makes an HTTP request to the content authoring and publishing system506 requesting the content manifest. When the content authoring andpublishing system 506 determines that a user's e-mail is valid (e.g.,the system 506 may also authenticate the originating email address ofthe desktop computer 546), the system 506 sends the content to thedesktop computer 546 internet browser 542. In one example, if a user ofthe delivery device forwarded an email originating from the contentserver 502 to another user, the other user would not be able to retrievecontent from the content provider 502. This method and system may addsecurity to the distribution of content, such as Word documents, as auser cannot redistribute the content that has been pushed to theirdelivery device in this manner.

Email authentication may also be performed to ensure that onlyauthorized recipients are receiving content. In the case of a desktopcomputer, the URL link may redirect to a logon page where a user ID andpassword are required to proceed with the content access.

The content provided to all delivery devices of a single user is thesame. Reformatting of content and re-coding of content is handled by theplatform connector 504 depending on delivery device type and transporttype specified for that user. There is no authoring necessary to ensurethat content is accessible on all delivery devices for a user. In thatsense, the content is synchronized for access on all delivery devices ofa user without further authoring by the platform connector 504.

The desktop computer has therefore received another representation ofthe same content, this other representation being adequate for thedesktop computer and would not necessarily have been deliverable to themobile device.

The disclosed method and system may also provide a content trackingsub-system 566 which can track when the content was accessed by the userand which may gather assessment data if assessment questionnaires arepart of the content. The content tracking sub-system 566 can include acontent tracker 568, an access tracker 560, an assessment gatherer 562,a content profile manager 564 and a user content profile storage 570.

In each delivery device where a content player is provided, the playeris equipped with a player tracker which logs events related to thecontent received and played on the player. The log file created containsan entire session's worth of tracking information about each contentportion and each assessment question answered. If the user is accessingthe content while his delivery device is offline, the log file tracksall of this activities until the delivery device is back online.

This log is then forwarded to the content tracking sub-system 566. Ifthe device was offline when the log file was created, the log file isforwarded when the device is back online. The content trackingsub-system 566 can be located in a server, accessible by all deliverydevices. It may be in the same server as the content provide 502 orelsewhere. If the delivery device is a mobile device 102, the mobilecontent player 528 prepares the mobile content log.

If the delivery device is a desktop computer 546, the content istypically not accessible while the computer is offline. Therefore, theinternet browser 542 can prepare the log file and the log file istypically linked to a viewed page of content. Alternatively, the URLaddress to which the email directs the user for access to the contentcan be programmed to gather the log information and prepare the desktopcontent log file using a JAVA applet, a Flash player, integration intoan existing application that allows content to be accessed by the user,etc.

As will be readily understood, the log files (and the trackinginformation in general) can contain tracking information concerning thewhole rendering of the content to the user, the log file being forwardedto the content tracking sub-system 566 once the rendering session isterminated. Alternatively, partial log files can be cumulated andforwarded based on a logical distribution, such as when specificsections of the content are accessed or when a number of trackedactivities have occurred. For both the partial and complete log files,it is possible to store the log files in the delivery device untilappropriate to forward them to the content tracker 568.

The mobile content log file and the desktop content log file, if any,are sent to the content tracker 568. Content tracker 568 communicateswith content profile manager 564 to retrieve a user content profile forthe user from user content profile storage 570. An access tracker 560extracts relevant access information from the received log file. Forexample, the date, time, duration of display and delivery device typeinformation for each access to the content may be extracted from the logfile. This extracted access data is provided to the content profilemanager 564 for updating the user profile. An assessment gatherer 562extracts relevant assessment information from the received log file. Forexample, answers to each question of a questionnaire may be compiled fora user. This assessment can be used to gather feedback or to assess theuser's understanding of the provided content. The newly gatheredassessment information is then added to the user content profile by thecontent profile manager 564.

Reports can be made using the information contained in the user contentprofiles of user content profile storage 570. The reports can includedetailed access information, and gathered assessment data. This can beused by content providers or others to determine statistics about theuse and understanding of users of the content. The content profilemanager 564 can be equipped with a reporting interface to control accessto the user content profiles and to report compiled access andassessment data in a human readable format.

Such access data can be used by the content provider to limit access tothe content to a limited number of delivery devices on any type ofplatform. For example, if the content is a lecture on a topic includinga questionnaire at the end, the number of accesses to the lecture couldbe unlimited while the filling out and submission of the questionnairecould be limited to two times. Then, if a student watches the lecture onhis mobile device and fills out and submits the questionnaire but is notsatisfied with his answers, he can access the lecture a few other timeson his mobile device or his desktop computer or both and can thencomplete the questionnaire a second time. After two separate andcomplete access to the questionnaire, the questionnaire is no longeravailable to be filled out by the user.

The access and assessment data can also be used by the content providerto adjust the content via the content authoring and publishing system506. If all assessment data gathered indicates that the content is notunderstood, changes to the content may be necessary.

The compiled access and assessment data includes information logged fora same user on all of his delivery devices and therefore ensures aglobal tracking of his activities.

Because such tracking information is obtained, the system and methodallow to facilitate accessing of the content by the user by allowing auser to stop his accessing of the content in one delivery device andpick up the accessing of the same content in another delivery device atthe same point where he left it off. Indeed, because the accessactivities of the user are tracked by the access tracker 560, the usercontent profile in the storage 570 may include such information as, forexample, slide 5 of a presentation displayed. This information can thenbe provided to all players on all delivery devices for that user, namelyto the mobile content player 528 and the internet browser 542.Therefore, the next time the user accesses the content, the presentationcan be displayed at the slide where it was left off on one deliverydevice, namely at slide 5, even if the content is now being accessedthrough another delivery device.

An Administrator of the system can set the delivery platforms for auser. The Administrator can also allow or disallow the users frommanaging their delivery platform settings.

While the content server 502, mobile device 102, desktop computer 546,content tracking sub-system 566 and platform connector 504 arerepresented as distinct components and have a number of sub-components,any of these components or subcomponents may be implemented as modulesrunning on a number of interconnected servers or on a single server,depending on the design criteria of a particular application. Forexample, any of the components 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, 514, and516 may be implemented on any of the network provider system 212, thenetwork 224, the content server 226, the email server 232, or the originserver 230. Alternatively, in one example, the components 502, 504, 506,508, 510, 512, 514, and 516 may be implemented on a single one of thenetwork provider system 212, the network 224, the content server 226,the email server 232, or the origin server 230. Additionally, while onecontent server 502 and one platform connector 504 are shown as anexample in FIGS. 5 and 6, the present description is intended to includeany number of content servers operating to provide content to any numberof wireless devices 102 and any number of desktop computers 546.

In FIG. 6, only the desktop computer 602 components have changed withrespect to FIG. 5. The desktop computer 602 is an alternative embodimentto the desktop computer 546 of FIG. 5. The desktop computer 602 nowcontains a content status manager 604 which communicates with theplatform connector 504 to obtain content for the desktop content player606. A local storage 608 is also provided on the desktop computer tostore at least a portion of the content. This version of the desktopcomputer 602 allows off-line accessing of the content since the localstorage 608 is always available to the desktop computer 602.

Both the mobile content player 528 and the desktop content player 606can prepare the content log file even if the delivery device is offline.The log file can be provided to the content tracker 568 once thedelivery device detects that communication to the content tracker 568 ismade available.

Reference is next made to FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, which show in flowchartform a method 700 for delivering content to multiple platforms used by auser. As shown in FIG. 7A, the content is prepared and published for auser 702. Profile data is provided about the user for his choice ofdelivery devices 703 on which to provide content. The content serversends an invitation to the delivery devices of the user 704. Alldelivery devices for the user receive the most up-to-date contentinvitation 706. The retrieval of content is begun 708 for thatparticular delivery device on its platform. If the user does not accessthe content 710, the method ends. If the user accesses the content 710,a log is stored for that platform 712. The platform log is transmitted714. Access data is extracted from the user log 716. Assessment data isgathered from the user log 718. The user content profile is updated withaccess and assessment data 720. It is then possible to report on useraccess and assessment 722. Additionally, adapted content information canbe transmitted 724 and content can be adapted for the user 726. Thedelivery devices then receive the invitation for the most up-to-datecontent 706 and the steps are repeated.

As shown in FIG. 7B which details step 708 of FIG. 7A, after thedelivery device has received the content invitation 706, a response tothe invitation is sent from the mobile device or from the desktop 730.In the case of the mobile device, the response is a request from thedelivery manager 524 to retrieve content. In the case of the desktopcomputer 546, the response is a login by the user into the website towhich pointed the URL contained in the email of the invitation (see FIG.5). In the case of the desktop computer 602, the response is a requestfrom the content status manager 604 to retrieve content (see FIG. 6).

Then, the device which responded is identified 732. The platform typefor that device which responded is retrieved 734. The content is thenobtained in a format adequate for the platform type 736 and the accessapplication (browser or local player). If the delivery device uses a webbrowser to access the content, the retrieved content is formattedaccordingly for access in the browser 738. If the delivery device uses alocal player, the content is sent to the device and the device beginsreceipt/download of the content 740. The content can be fully stored inthe local storage 526, 608 or partly stored in local storage 526, 608with additional downloads beginning as need be.

While the steps of the method 700 are shown as occurring in a particularorder, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many ofthe steps are interchangeable and may occur in different orders thanthat shown without materially affecting the end results of the method700.

The embodiments of the present disclosure described above are intendedto be examples only. Those of skill in the art may effect alterations,modifications and variations to the particular embodiments withoutdeparting from the intended scope of the present disclosure. Inparticular, selected features from one or more of the above-describedembodiments may be combined to create alternative embodiments notexplicitly described, features suitable for such combinations beingreadily apparent to persons skilled in the art. The subject matterdescribed herein in the recited claims intends to cover and embrace allsuitable changes in technology.

1-24. (canceled)
 25. A method for synchronizing content delivery to a single user, the method comprising: sending an invitation to deliver content to a plurality of delivery devices associated with said single user; in response to signals received from at least one of the plurality of delivery devices, the signals being representative of a response from a respective responding delivery device to the invitation, for each response received: identifying a platform type of the respective responding delivery device using profile data associated with the single user; and retrieving and providing a delivery version of said content in a delivery format acceptable for the identified platform type.
 26. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising, for at least one received response: identifying an access application type of said respective responding delivery device corresponding to an access application on said respective responding delivery device for accessing said content; wherein said providing said delivery version comprises delivering the content according to the access application type.
 27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein said access application is one of a browser connected to internet and a local player on said delivery device having access to a local storage on said delivery device; and delivering the content comprises, depending on said access application, one of sending said delivery version of said content for download by said responding delivery device and providing said delivery version for accessing in said browser on said responding delivery device.
 28. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising tracking usage of said content by said single user on each said responding delivery device.
 29. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said tracking comprises: storing a user log for each responding delivery device, said user log including a time stamp and an activity description for at least one activity carried out by the respective responding delivery device on said content; transmitting said user log for each responding delivery device to a content tracker; and cumulating said user log from each responding delivery device for said single user at said content tracker in a user content profile.
 30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein said activity is one of a beginning of an access to said content, an end of an access to said content, a completion of rendering of a section of said content, and an inputting of an answer in an assessment portion of said content.
 31. The method as claimed in claim 29, further comprising extracting access statistics from said user content profile for said single user.
 32. The method as claimed in claim 31, further comprising gathering assessment statistics from said user content profile for said single user.
 33. The method as claimed in claim 32, further comprising reporting at least one of said access statistics and said assessment statistics.
 34. The method as claimed in claim 31, further comprising: obtaining an access count from said access statistics, said access count being a number of times said single user has accessed said content on any of said delivery devices; comparing said access count to a rendering limit, said rendering limit being a number of times said single user is allowed to render said content on said plurality of delivery devices; and upon determining that said access count is equal to or greater than said rendering limit, blocking access to said content by all of said responding delivery devices.
 35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein said blocking access comprises transmitting a blocked access replacement content to said responding delivery device. 